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The American non-governmental agency to combat poverty named "Millennium Challenge Corporation" (MCC) is considering allocation to Georgia of the second grant package in the amount of 100-150 million US dollars, said Daniel Johannes, executive director of the MCC.

Raffi Ovannisyan, leader of the "Heritage" Party, continues his hunger strike started on March 15 in Freedom Square of Yerevan. According to his story he is going to hold in the square as long as his health permits.

Makhachkala hosted a roundtable "Role of NCOs (non-commercial organizations) in overcoming legal nihilism in Dagestan", during which its participants shared their views on the reasons and implications of this phenomenon.

On March 18, the NGO named the "Nationwide Resistance Movement" held a rally in downtown Tbilisi. The action demanded to adopt a law on amnesty for those prisoners, whose term does not exceed three years, and to release 60 persons considered by the Movement as political prisoners.

As reported by the press service of the Ministry of Defence (MoD) of the unrecognized republic, a soldier of the Defence Army of Nagorno-Karabakh was fatally wounded by the fire "opened by the enemy."

On March 18, two more persons died of influenza in Georgia; one of them was killed by the H1N1 virus. The total number of flu cases in Georgia has exceeded one thousand.

In the context of the accident at Fukushima-1 Japanese nuclear power plant (NPP), Armenia has invited international experts to assess risks and develop additional measures to improve safety at the Armenian NPP, said Prime Minister Tigran Sarkisyan at the sitting of his government.

Albert Abdurakhmanov, a residents of the Chelyabinsk Region, and Radmir Rashitov, a resident of Bashkortostan, detained earlier in Makhachkala on suspicion of facilitating the terrorist activities, have been sent, under the decision of the commission on helping in adaptation to peaceful life to those who have decided to stop their terrorist and extremist activities, to the madrasa at one of the mosques in Makhachkala for training in fundamentals of Islam.

As reported by the spokesman of the National Antiterrorist Committee (NAC) of Russia, the three suspected militants killed in the shootout in Dagestan have been identified.

The "Caucasian Knot" correspondent was informed by Timur Sheikhov, a villager, that about 100 persons, detained by power agents when coming out of the mosque in the village of Shamkhal-Station, Kirov District of Makhachkala, were let home.

The video "Javakheti - Mine-Studded Region" broadcast by the ITV Georgian channel has caused indignation of Assembly of Tbilisi Armenians (ATA). The programme told about Armenians' desire to capture the Javakheti region, and then - the rest of the country. A special briefing was held in Tbilisi, after which the broadcaster removed the controversial video away from its website.

Law enforcers of Vladikavkaz have detained a suspect who distributed false reports about mining through the Internet.

Three women-local residents have been detained in Chechnya on suspicion of committing major frauds with certificates on maternity capital. According to preliminary data, over 300 women became their victims, while the total amount of damage exceeds 100 million roubles.

The Parliament of Chechnya brought into State Duma amendments to the law "On Police" which would let Chechen militiamen who have formerly fought on the side of gunmen pass re-attestation.

In the evening of March, 17, a native of Northern Caucasus assaulted two young fans of "Spartak" football club with a knife, officials of law enforcement bodies of Moscow reported.

A captain of internal service, officer of Department of Federal Service of execution of punishments (FSEP) of Russia in Dagestan was murdered in Makhachkala, Press service of the republican Ministry of Interior Affairs reported.

The investigation on the criminal proceedings started against Aslan Cherkesov is going on in a prejudged way. This was Sonya Cherkesova's statement at a meeting with journalists in Nalchik.

On March 16, the Department for Chechnya of the Russian Federal Security Bureau (FSB) released an appeal to members of illegal armed formations (IAFs). Militants are invited to lay down arms and return to peaceful life. Activists of local NGOs believe that the appeal contains direct threats against families of IAF members and express serious concern in this connection.

Teachers of some general educational institutions in Chechnya report that their bosses withhold money - in the range of 400-600 roubles on the average - from their salaries. The Ministry of Education of Chechnya states that there are no written applications or oral complaints about it from school teachers. Law enforcement bodies also know nothing about such facts.

On the eve of the rally of the Armenian National Congress (ANC) policemen blocked most of the roads, running from villages to highways, preventing people's arrival in the capital, states the opposition. The police deny this information.